It's a claim that is taken almost as an unassailable truth by a huge number of news media outlets around the world: that some 33,000 people died in Gaza, and that two-thirds of them are women and children.

While the source of that claim is Hamas, and its "Gaza Ministry of Health," which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, or those killed by Israel or by errant Palestinian rockets, there is an even more fundamental way to recognize the data is unreliable: by statistics.

Abraham Wyner, a professor of Statistics and Data Science at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, recently penned a report where he pointed out that Hamas' casualty numbers don't add up, just from a statistical perspective, rendering them extraordinarily unlikely to be true.

Professor Wyner joins us as a guest to walk us through his research showing how statistics have shown Hamas' claims to be propaganda.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

For years, Israel has accused UNRWA, the disgraced United Nations agency, of ties to Palestinian terrorism and incitement and glorification of violence.

But only after the massacres of October 7 did the UN agency, officially tasked with providing aid to Palestinians, get into the larger spotlight.

Israel has accused - and provided evidence for - UNRWA staff of participating in Hamas' massacre, and has pointed to a huge Hamas data centre built directly underneath the agency's Gaza City headquarters, as well as satellite photos of schools built on top of Hamas bunkers, and much more.

Every year, UNRWA receives funding from international donors, including Canada, meaning Ottawa effectively is funding Hamas terrorism.

As a result, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) recently announced it was taking legal action against the Trudeau government, saying funding UNRWA contravenes Canadian anti-terrorism legislation.

Richard Marceau, CIJA's VP and General Counsel, joins us as a guest.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

Ian Ward is a Councillor in Colwood, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, a suburb of Victoria, population just under 20,000 people.

He has also become a leading voice of moral clarity, advocating for both Israel and the Jewish People, even though as an elected official in a municipality with a relatively small Jewish community, there is little electoral benefit in doing so.

Ian joins us as a guest on this week's podcast to discuss what prompted him to become so vocal, the feedback he has been getting from constituents, and why he thinks more municipal politicians need to stand up and make their voices heard.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

In the immediate aftermath of Hamas' invasion of southern Israel on October 7, it became evident that Israel lacked the ability to scale up its procurement of military and civilian gear, both for the IDF in its operations, and for Israeli civilians forced from their homes and displaced refugees in their own country.

In the face of fast-changing events, one Israeli man, Michael Freedman, saw an opportunity to help.

The Israel-based businessman quickly launched what became known as Project Shushan, a complex effort to deliver much-needed gear to Israel, working faster than official channels could provide. Michael joins us as our guest this week.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

It's a fact largely ignored by anti-Israel activists: that 20 percent of Israel's population are Arabs, largely Muslim. They enjoy the same democratic rights as Israeli Jews, can vote and stand for election, and hold citizenship as Israelis.

The Bedouin of Israel's south are part of this population, and they are unique in their own right, distinct from the Bedouin in Israel's north, the Druze community in Israel, and the Jewish majority.

In this week's podcast, we are joined by Ariel Viesel, the CO-CEO of Desert Stars, an Israeli organization that works to provide educational, vocational and other opportunities to members of Israel's Bedouin population in the country's south, and in so doing, help further integrate them into Israeli society, benefiting them, and Israel at large.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

It is very easy to consume news in a bubble. Human nature is to read, listen and watch information that fits our preconceived ideologies and ideas.

Breaking out of that bubble is easier said than done, and when it comes to the hundreds of millions of Arabic-speakers around the world, getting accurate information about Israel can be next to impossible.

Rawan Osman is looking to change that. Following October 7, the Syrian-born, Lebanese-raised commentator, now based in Germany, became an outspoken advocate for Israel and the Jewish people.

Through her active social media presence, including her accounts, Arabs Ask, Osman has used her native Arabic language to share the truth about Israel to audiences who rarely had the opportunity to get that perspective.

Osman joins us as our guest this week.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

October 7 was more than just a terrorist attack, or even the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

It represented, perhaps more than any other event, the truest opportunity to see the real face of Hamas, not just its rhetoric, but its actions.

Not only the rapes, murders, tortures, and kidnappings, but the gleeful manner in which they were carried out, filming it all for posterity and out of pride.

But October 7, now more than five months ago, seems like ancient history, certainly to much of the news media, which now has widely lost interest, including in the Israeli hostages still in Gaza.

Seeing the sites of Hamas' massacres first-hand help to bring the reality home, not just of what happened that day, but of the moral necessity in fighting Hamas.

In late January, Toronto businessman Larry Maher brought a group of Canadian journalists to Israel for a short visit, where they bore witness to what Hamas carried out, and he joins us to discuss why he brought these individuals, and what he wants such a visit to achieve.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

Over the last five months, Rahim Mohamed has become one of Canada's most recognizable opinion columnists. The Calgary-based commentator, writing in The National Post, has also made a name for himself as a vocal advocate for Israel and a harsh critic of the moral turpitude that has allowed disinformation to fester.

While commentators are entitled to their own views, but not their own facts, that simple yet profound difference has been nevertheless been lost by so many reporters and columnists alike, regardless of the platform.

In this week's podcast, Rahim joins us to discuss his perspective on the state of the news media when it comes to covering the Hamas-Israel war, how he would rate their coverage, and what his predictions for the news media in the near future look like. 

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

As the war rages in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel, following the simple narrative is easy.

And that narrative, that Israel is a murderous state hell-bent on genocide, may be a simpler message to understand, but it is an inversion of reality.

While some politicians take the easy path, others put facts before ideology.

In recent weeks, Kevin Vuong, an independent Member of Parliament for Spadina-Fort York, located in downtown Toronto, has become one of the country's most vocal supporters, both of Israel, and of Canada's Jewish community at large.

He joins us as our guest this week to discuss what prompted him to become such a stalwart ally, his message for other politicians, and what the feedback from his constituents has been like.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

Egypt plays a towering role in the Middle East.

Not only is the country the most populous in the region, home to more than 100 million people, it is also the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, in 1979.

Egypt also plays a critical role in the current war between Israel and Hamas, bordering Gaza.

What is Cairo looking for in its relationship with Israel, with Hamas, and what role is it trying to play in the Middle East at large?

To share his expertise in the area, we are joined by Dr Ofir Winter. Dr. Winter is a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, where he specializes in Arab-Israeli relations and contemporary Egypt.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.